John Eight Thirty Two
• Apr. 19, 2007 - Passover photos 1 - A recipe
Finally I am going to begin downloading pictures from our Spring Break Travels around the country.
Before our guests arrived I did quite a bit of preparation and this salad was one of the things I made before hand so that I would not be spending too much time in the kitchen. It was very popular and I ended up having to make some more while the guests were here and that is how come we got photos of the process. So, here goes a step by step illustrated guide:
First things first........ what do you call these things? Eggplant? Brinjal? Aubergine? The species name is Solanum melongena but I somehow doubt if that is what any of you call it. Here we call it a חציל (khatzil) and it is really popular for a lot of recipes. So, what shall I call this recipe? Hmmmmmm. How about Balsamic Garlic Eggplant salad?
Here, our vegetables seem to be on the large end of the scale so you might need to adjust your proportions accordingly. First take your washed eggplant and slice it into rounds. You don't want the slices too thin so that they dry up or burn while cooking, but you also don't want them too thick because eggplant soaks up oil and the thicker the slices, the more oil they absorb. So maybe you can see from the picture what good thickness is:
Next, I placed the slices on a baking rack, sprinkled both sides with salt and left them at a slight angle to drain for about 1/2 an hour.
During that time, I made the marinade which consists of balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic. Making this is a matter of taste. Some people dilute the vinegar with water and some put very little garlic. Others put a LOT of garlic so it is totally up to you. Finely chopped parsley adds a nice touch. You will need about 1 cup of vinegar and up to 10 cloves of garlic depending on your taste preference.
So, returning to the salted slices of eggplant. By this stage the salt should have drawn out the bitterness and the slices should be wet. A clear, brown liquid should be running off the eggplant. (This liquid stains hands and material so be careful). They need to be patted dry on both sides. I use paper towel.
The next stage involves frying the slices in hot, shallow oil on both sides. It should take a minute or two at the most for each side.
When they are brown on both sides, take them out and squash the oil out of them from both sides. I love my paper towel!
Put the cooked slices in a container with a lid, pouring the marinade over the slices making sure that the garlic and vinegar is evenly distributed over the eggplant. Put the salad in the fridge to get cold.
I do not have any pictures of the prepared salad because it was eaten by my guests before it even got to the fridge to get cold!!! It can stay in the fridge for a week, even more because vinegar is a good preservative. I was not an eggplant fan but this recipe is a good one.
I have pictures of 2 of the other salads I made.
A cabbage sesame salad:
and a curried carrot salad:
So, I had a fridge full of salads ready and waiting for when our first guests arrived on the 2nd of April.
|
Post A Comment! :: Send to a Friend!
|
|
|
|
About Me
We are a homeschooling family in the not so peaceful Middle East. Every day is an adventure and a blessing. We could do with a dull moment every now and then.
PLEASE NOTE:
- For security reasons I do not use our names and try to be vague about our location.
- Comments are appreciated, if you know who and where I am, I would appreciate you leaving these details out of your comments. I reserve the right to modify comments revealing these details.
**!!PLEASE NOTE THAT SINCE THE 100TH POST, THIS IS A TAG FREE AND AWARD FREE ZONE!!**
MySpace Glitter Graphics
Links
• Home
• View my profile
• Archives
• Email Me
• My Blog's RSS
|
|
• Apr. 20, 2007 - <i>Untitled Comment</i>
Tracy
*******
reply by short. Tracy you are more than welcome! bring your Mum too, she needs some nourishment ;-). I'll expect 9 of you, just tell me when!!!**********
Edited by short on Apr. 20, 2007 at 6:18 AM